We live in Lewiston, Maine, and our windows need replacing. When you can't sit next to the window during the winter because of the chill, they need to go!

So looking at replacing these old single pane windows with some vinyl ones. Which ones to get and who to install them?

Home Depot gave us a quote on replacing 17 windows, most of them 34" wide by 64" tall, and one picture window, for about $10,700 for windows and installation. These were American Manufacturing 8500 series. We have a windows installation place about one block from us and they carry Alside and Harvey windows, and he was usggesting the Harvey Classic and Alside Excalibur as starting points, and more then willing to sell us the upper models too. I haven't gotten a quote from him yet, but will.

So questions are:
Thoughts on the Alside and Harvey windows?
Anyone know of a good installer in the Lewiston/Auburn area I could check out?
What should I look for in an installation package (removal of old windows, capping off the outside of the windows, etc.)?

If Home Depot is offering to install the American Craftsman 8500 which is manufactured by Silverline RUN. Especially at that price; even priced fairly I would stay away from that window.

As for the Alside products I would not use the Excalibur go for a few more dollars and get the Sheffield. I do not have enough knowledge of the Harvey products to comment.

Being you find it difficult to sit near the windows in the winter you may consider a window available with a triple pane glass package just based on the added comfort in the winter. Windows that offer this include the Simonton Impressions 9800, Shuco and Alside Preservation and possibly others that may be available in you area.

I make no bones about being an advocate for the Schuco window. By far and away is superior to any windows afore mentioned on this thread. Instead of taking my word go to WWW.NFRC.ORG and do the research on the various windows you looked at or are being recommended to you. Product line SCH-M-16-00020 is what I would choose given your geogeaphic location and climate zone.

There you will find accurate, unbiased information so you can better make your fenestration purchase.

As for the Alside window find out what the NFRC product line number is as it is not listed as Sheffield. The only window name appearing for Alside is the Excalibur.

Some tips for navigating the NFRC site, you donâ€™t need to logon or create an account, look under Certified Product Directory. They also tend to refer to Double Hungs as Vertical Sliders.

The windows are rated by various means, here is what you should look for:

U-Factor
U-factor measures how well a product prevents heat from escaping. The rate of heat loss is indicated in terms of the U-factor (U-value) of a window assembly. U-Factor ratings generally fall between 0.20 and 1.20. The insulating value is indicated by the R-value which is the inverse of the U-value. The lower the U-value, the greater a window's resistance to heat flow and the better its insulating value.
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) measures how well a product blocks heat caused by sunlight. The SHGC is the fraction of incident solar radiation admitted through a window, both admitted through a window, both directly transmitted, and absorbed and subsequently released inward. SHGC is expressed as a number between 0 and 1. The lower a window's solar heat gain coefficient, the less solar heat it transmits
Visible Transmittance
Visible Transmittance (VT) measures how much light comes through a product. The visible transmittance is an optical property that indicates the amount of visible light transmitted. VT is expressed as a number between 0 and 1. The higher the VT, the more light is transmitted.
Air Leakage*
Air Leakage (AL) is indicated by an air leakage rating expressed as the equivalent cubic feet of air passing through a square foot of window area (cfm/sq ft). Heat loss and gain occur by infiltration through cracks in the window assembly. The lower the AL, the less air will pass through cracks in the window assembly.
Condensation Resistance*
Condensation Resistance (CR) measures the ability of a product to resist the formation of condensation on the interior surface of that product. The higher the CR rating, the better that product is at resisting condensation formation. While this rating cannot predict condensation, it can provide a credible method of comparing the potential of various products for condensation formation. CR is expressed as a number between 0 and 100.

That makes sense I didnâ€™t think Depot would install the 8500; they learned their lesson not to a few years ago.

The Renovations 6500 is built by Simonton and is a pretty good window it is basically the same window as the Simonton Reflections 5500 that usually can be installed by a Simonton dealer for quite a bit less.

Thanks Bill. We have 4 local people lined up to give us quotes on their windows. Two of them carry Harvey windows, one has Harvey and Alside, and I'm not sure yet what the fourth one carries.

A family member just got a quote from one of the places for the Harvey Regency window that they carry. He has 20 windows and the installation price is far below what we were quoted from Home Depot (not surprising).

That makes sense I didnâ€™t think Depot would install the 8500; they learned their lesson not to a few years ago.

The Renovations 6500 is built by Simonton and is a pretty good window it is basically the same window as the Simonton Reflections 5500 that usually can be installed by a Simonton dealer for quite a bit less.

Bill- What was "the lesson" they learned at Home Depot? Also, will the Simonton dealers give the home owner the accidental breakage replacement for the life of the home (as long as present owner resides in it) which is free of all charges incidental in replacement of whatever is broken within 48 hours? That has to be part of the equation too..

Home Depot learned not to install the American Craftsman window because it was costing them money. They had so many complaints on product failure and physical appearance it wasn't even funny. The windows were so bad that even your top tier installers wouldn't install them. The windows would fall apart in the installers hands before they could get them in the hole. In the colder climates the vinyl would crack in the corner while just moving windows from the garage to the house. In most areas the threat of court was more than regular sales. This was Nation wide also. Not just a certain area. This is when they went to the independent sales force outside the stores. They then teamed up with Simonton to offer a better window to the public. Their problem now is they have burnt so many bridges with the upper end installers. That they can't get them back to boost their program. They are sending out poor installers who are giving them a bad name. Not all areas are having these problems. There are some areas that have some good installers. They're just few and far between

Regarding the warranty; it depends on which window you buy and the glass system you purchase.

With the Reflections 5500 in its standard form you have lifetime on the frame and mechanical parts, 20 years seal failure with no breakage. If you upgrade to double strength glass you then get 3 years glass breakage. This is the window that is basically the same as the 6500 from Depot although the Reflections 5500 is available with a 1â€

The 48 hour response I suspect is the time Home Depot has to come out determine what to order and get the order in to Simonton. I might be able to get some information on that from the HM foreman when he shows up this week.

However, I am concerned about something else you mentioned. I was specifically told that the 6500 series IS double strength glass and DOES have superspacer. I just sent an email to Simonton to address those two points. At $6K for these windows, they better be equipped as promised !!

I would double check to be sure you are getting Super Spacer; I spoke to the person who runs the Depot program at Simonton and she said Super Spacer is not part of Depotâ€™s regular product offering and pricing for it is not in their price book. So the sales rep would not be trained to talk about it.

But she did say they could order it for an up charge so itâ€™s not totally impossible. I would confirm with your sales rep.